How God Handled Depression in the Bible.

Can we have a total honesty moment here? I have to know I’m not alone in this.

Do you ever feel bad about yourself while reading about people in the Bible?

Time after time, I read about these brave, courageous, faithful followers of God. The ones who surrendered everything and the ones who were willing to lay down their lives for what they believed. I read about them and think, “I want to be like them. I want to be used like that. But I don’t feel like I’m on their level.”

I have a tendency to be hard on myself, and I think these people in the Bible just have it all together. If people in the Bible were around today, I’d probably stalk their social media accounts and play the comparison game:

Oh wow, look at Moses’ latest post about how he parted the Red Sea. Look at how God is using him. And did you see Noah’s latest Instagram picture? He built a giant ark! Look how big it is. Did you know God told him to build it?

Aren’t we all a bit glad that people in the Bible didn’t even know what social media was back then? I sure am. Even though I’ve read about hardships people in the Bible had to face along the way, I still felt discouraged reading some of their stories.

I started reading about the prophet Elijah, and at first, I kept thinking, “Here is another example of someone fearless and courageous. I am not him.”

In 1 Kings chapter 18, on Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal (all 450 of them, to be exact). In verse 21, he says, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” In verse 24, he says, “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

They set up an altar, sacrificing a bull, and the prophets of Baal cried out to their god, but no fire fell from the sky. So Elijah prepared his altar to God, and in verses 36 and 37, it says, “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’”

The fire of God fell down, and everyone began to praise God, for He had shown Himself to be the true God. Elijah was at an all-time high when this happened. All of Baal’s prophets were slaughtered. He had done it. He was the man. God was using him. But this high would soon diminish in chapter 19 when Jezebel heard the news of what Elijah had done. She sent a messenger to tell Elijah that he would soon die for what he did.

This is where it gets interesting. Afraid for his life, Elijah fled to the wilderness. “‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.”

I had to reread it again and again. Elijah had just done something remarkable, and now suddenly, he was begging God to kill him. I don’t know about you, but it feels a bit relatable. My emotions can be high one moment and entirely shot down the next. I’m a roller coaster of unpredictable feelings. As I continued to read, the more surprised I became.

Was Elijah going through a bit of depression? I started thinking about maybe why he was feeling so defeated. Looking back through his story, he was the only prophet of the Lord left, and his life was being threatened. He felt alone. And he was afraid. When fear takes control, it’s easy to succumb to darkness. It manifests, it spreads, it drives out the light. He felt like a failure. At first, everything seemed to be going right, but everything changed so quickly. He went from feeling like the man to feeling like he didn’t deserve to live.

He felt fear. He felt like a failure. He felt alone.

Don’t we all feel that way sometimes?

At first, I looked at Elijah like he was above me. He’s a prophet. He has sincere faith. He trusts and believes. He is confident. He is sure of himself. He’s a vessel to God. But now… I don’t think I’m much different from him at all.

I was amazed as I kept reading. The way God responds to Elijah’s despair moved me deeply. He sent an angel to feed Elijah. Elijah ate the food and fell back asleep. Then later, the angel fed him again. After resting and regaining strength from eating, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he came to a cave. Elijah was still not feeling his best, and God asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah doesn’t hold back his feelings. He tells God exactly what’s wrong. “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

God sent high winds, earthquakes, and fire, but He was not in the wind, the earthquakes, or the fire. Usually, those were ways He showed Himself to His people in the Old Testament. Instead, He came in the form of a whisper to Elijah; He came in a new way to tell Elijah that he wasn’t alone.

When Elijah fell into depression, God didn’t say, “Stop it. Get up. Why are you depressed? You shouldn't feel that way.” God let him rest. He let him eat food and drink some water. And when he regained his strength, God asked him a question. He let Elijah be honest about what he was feeling. And then he helped Elijah see that He has never been alone. God has always been with him.

And from there, God gave him action steps to take. Time to get busy. When you hit your lowest point, you can’t stay there forever. At some point, you have to get up and try again. There is always work to be done. For Elijah, he needed to anoint the new King, and find the man who would succeed him as prophet. And he did just that.

I think Elijah is the perfect example of myself. Do you know how many times I’ve written words I was proud of, and how many people reached out to tell me how much they needed to read them? It makes me feel so good. And then before I know it, I’m feeling down, and I’m angry because I don’t have any new words to write. I question my gift, my calling, my purpose. I get mad at God and say, “Why did I think this is what You wanted me to do? Why couldn’t you give me a different gift?” I go from being so happy to so defeated. I withdraw. I hide away. I don’t want to do anything.

I can’t be the only one who does this. Elijah is no different from any of us. I thought so highly of people in the Bible and thought so little of myself, but I’m just like them. And that’s the point. I’m human. I never have it altogether, and neither does anyone else, especially those in the Bible. God uses anyone who is willing and ready to serve.

Reading about the way God approached Elijah’s depression was so powerful and moving to me. It’s no secret that many people struggle with their mental health. It reminds me of this episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender when the Fire Nation built a massive drill to try to get into the walls of the Earth Kingdom Capital, Ba Sing Se. Trying to attack the drill from above was not working, and that’s when they realized the solution was taking down the drill from the inside. And it worked: the whole drill collapsed.

If Satan can get into your mind, spreading his lies the way he does, he can take you out. It’s why Christians believe you have to continually be in the Word, letting it filter out the lies. You have to renew your mind and stand firm on God’s promises; otherwise, you’ll be more prone to Satan’s lies and attacks.

If you battle with depression, I hope you read Elijah’s story and see the way God helps him through it. You’re not alone in what you’re going through. I don’t necessarily battle depression, but I am easily susceptible to depressive moods. When I hit rock bottom, I hit it hard. And many people have bad days where they don’t feel like they’re capable of anything. Disappointment is something we all go through. Sometimes I do not know how to get myself out of it, but I think the steps God takes with Elijah is a great place to start.

Even in the middle of your battle, God still has plans for your life. Believe it. Keep fighting. Keep being honest with God. God can and will still use you. You will come out of the darkness with a story to tell, a story that will help others fight their way out of the darkness too.